2 messages:

1)____

Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 10:47:15 -0500
Thread-Topic: new microform reader printers?
From: "Piesbergen, Frances R." <sfrpies@umsl.edu>

I realize that this doesn't address the original question from Ron
Hardy, but I have to respond to Garry Church.  I don't know about
anyone else's library, but we have no plans of ridding ourselves of
the decades+ of newspapers, journals, ASI and SRI fiche, ERIC
fiche, etc, to which we _still_ subscribe.  I doubt that the
industry is going to dry up and go away (i.e. these aren't
micro-opaque cards about which we're talking), nor will companies
decide anytime soon that there is no money in manufacturing the
equipment to utilize the format.  I think it would be a disservice
to the patrons not to purchase/replace equipment until such time as
there is a guarantee that the new electronic access materials will
be there forever, and that all of the older stuff will be as
readily available as the new.  We provide access to a pretty
impressive array of electronic materials at this Library, but we
aren't giving up on microforms just yet.

To Randy:  "digital" shouldn't mean "problems".  It's just
utilizing newer technology, which unfortunately can translate into
"more expensive purchase price".   I did some quick searching in a
couple of different databases, but didn't come up with many
equipment review articles which were very current - 1999.  The
biggest difference is the ability to connect to (and print from) a
computer, as well as the old formats.  You might want to look at
the web-pages of some of the manufacturers (yes, blatant
advertising), but it may still give you a better idea of what's out
there.

Frances Piesbergen                             sfrpies@umsl.edu
Documents Librarian                             ph:(314) 516-5084
Thomas Jefferson Library/dep. 0326        fx: (314) 516-5853
Univ. of MO-St. Louis
8001 Natural Bridge Rd.
St. Louis, MO  63121

2)_____

Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 11:50:34 -0400
From: Jean Lenville <lenville@fas.harvard.edu>
Subject: Re: new microform reader printers?

No, these readers aren't becoming a thing of the past. As Mr. Hardy
says, they're becoming digital. My library just opened a new
reading room for newspapers on film and has 13 Canon 300 scanners
attached to PC's. The Canon machine sends the image to the PC and
then it can be printed or saved to a CD for later use. The PC's are
networked to laser printers, which eliminates each machine printing
with proprietary supplies. If you have a heavily used microform
collection and need to buy new equipment digital is
the way to go. I can say that the Canon machines are working well,
and I know that Minolta has a comparable product. I would suggest
talking with whoever services your existing machines about what is
available with what features for what cost. You will probably need
the help of someone in your systems or IT Department to consult
with the supplier to make sure that the right software is purchased
for the way you will be setting up. Our room is
staffed primarily by students. While users who want to print
quickly may be frustrated by the additional complexity of going
digital, users like the one who wants to read a fifty page
Government Document and can copy it to a CD to use at home will be
delighted.

Jean Lenville, Head of Serials Services
Harvard College Library
1 Harvard Yard
Cambridge, MA 02138-6500
Phone: 617-496-6453
Fax: 617-384-8400
mailto:lenville@fas.harvard.edu